Congratulations Les Wallace!
I look forward to seeing what Defra Minister, Therese Coffey, has to say on this subject. Let’s remember that Defra claims to be evidence-based in its policy making. She can’t say that this information already exists – it doesn’t. The truth is that Defra would rather pretend they know the answer than to get the answer – let’s see how that is worded. If Defra refuse to carry out a study then we can point this out to them any time the subject comes up and especially if they even hint at an economic benefit from grouse shooting.
These are the Westminster parliamentary constituencies which delivered at least 50 signatures to Les’s petition;
Calder Valley, Craig Whittaker MP, 98 signatures
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Drew Hendry MP, 85 signatures
Ross, Skye and Lochaber, Ian Blackford MP, 72 signatures
High Peak, Ruth George MP, 65 signatures
South Cambridgeshire, Heidi Allen MP, 65 signatures
Sheffield Hallam, Jared O’Mara MP, 63 signatures
Central Devon, Mel Stride MP, 61 signatures
Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith MP, 58 signatures
Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron MP, 58 signatures
Totnes, Sarah Wollaston MP, 57 signatures
Torridge and West Devon, Geoffrey Cox MP, 57 signatures
Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollingrake MP, 57 signatures
Suffolk Coastal, Therese Coffey MP, 54 signatures
North Norfolk, Norman Lamb MP, 53 signatures
East Lothian, Martin Whitfield MP, 52 signatures
Keighley, John Grogan MP, 50 signatures
Only Harrow West obdurately remained without a single signature.
You have expressed clearly your (and my) expectations for the response. Whilst I did not realise that Therese Coffey would be the person likely heading up the reply, it could not come from a better source than the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
You help for Les in this matter has been the major reason it reached 10,000 signatures. If others who did not come forward to support the petition had done so, it could have easily reached 100,000 signatures, and caused even more head scratching among MPs.
While I am obviously relieved and grateful at getting past 10,000 you’re right Alex, this could and should have got to 100,000. When you look at the organisations that at one time or another have made some significant comment or action against driven grouse shooting it’s pretty staggering – RSBP, League Against Cruel Sports, the Green Party, FoE EWNI, Animal Aid and via a succession of its MPs last year the Labour Party with more than 500,000 members who will be more politically active than the ‘average’ citizen. The petition was a tremendous opportunity for them to support an uncontentious activity to which there can be no legitimate objections and that would act as a focal point for their individual concerns re DGS, so they would effectively have a combined voice……and they completely blew it. We could have had the 10,000 signatures at the very beginning and got media coverage at a time when local businesses were struggling because of poor grouse chick productivity in the surreal Monty Python world of the grouse moors. Instead of it bolstering Mark’s position back then, he had to spend HIS time coming to the rescue of the petition now. The target was reached eventually, but the window last year for hitting the grouse moor propagandists really hard was missed by a mile. It’s usually a bunch of committed individuals that get a movement going, but it’s way past the time when Mark Avery, Ruth Tingay and Chris Packham should be having to shoulder so much of the fight against DGS, scandalously so. I’ll be writing up my experiences of trying for several months to get the big bodies involved and what it revealed about anti DGS campaigning, it needs to be known.
I agree Les, but that’s still only 2 of us, whilst acknowledging you had the support of those you mention. I’m pleased that you show no intention of giving up. I won’t either, although I’m very busy on other matters presently.
Yes, it’s very disappointing. I think a large factor is how people i.e. the public are made to feel helpless about the actions of the grouse moor owners who act with impunity, facilitated by government ministers who refuse to even acknowledge the problem.
I had forgotten there was a Gov.UK petition last year to license grouse shooting. When I came across it I noticed the government response (saying we aren’t going to get it obviously) began with stressing the economic benefits of grouse shooting. This petition begins by stressing the job options that could have been lost because of DGS so they’ll have difficulty playing the convenient line that it brings employment where otherwise there wouldn’t be any. The response is going to be interesting indeed! This time a fortnight ago I was reconciling myself to sitting here this morning not having hit 10,000 signatures, and that wouldn’t have been nice after six months of trying. So again I have to express my gratitude for the fantastic eleventh hour effort from so many and effectively led by Mark that means I don’t feel like I have five pounds of lead in my stomach right now, but quite possibly others do. The petition is the little boy that stood up in front of the crowd, pointed his finger and at the top of his lungs cried ‘THE EMPEROR ISN’T WEARING ANY CLOTHES!’ Nothing clever, just that. One hell of a shame that several organisations that should have joined in didn’t, but IF there’s a second petition they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves. Imagine if the national press throw down the gauntlet to the MA, GWCT, BASC etc next time by asking them to support a petition for an independent economic analysis of DGS if they’re sure that it’s vital for rural communities, rather than me doing it via social media? Anyway it goes there’s tremendous mileage in this. Meanwhile I am hoping to have a lovely morning, hope you all do too!
Les’s petition is an important achievement because it will put this Government on the wrong foot. (Mind you they are on the wrong foot on so many things). If Coffey in her response, uses weasel words to avoid an independent study, as I am sure she will, then we have another strong weapon to use against this rotten Government. It would also demonstrate more clearly than ever the pro driven grouse shooting interests of her and much of the Tory Party.
My hunch is, that Defra will cite the ‘PACEC’ report on the economic benefits of shooting, and may be, if they are careless, repeat various other comments about the value of shooting.
If they are ‘sensible’, it will be a short, terse response, that says very little of substance to minimise any political comeback, and barely acknowledging the substantive element of the petition.
You could well be right, then it’ll be petition 2.